Sled-propeller.



PA'I 'E-NTED JULY 31, 1906.

J. MQGILLIS. SLED PROPELLER. APPLICATION FILED $EPT.13.1905.

2 snnm's snnm 1.

Witnesses Att o'rneys THE NORRIS PETERS co., wlsnmarau, D. c.

uni-TE A .PA-riainr mm.

To all whom it may; concern;

useful Sled-Propeller,v

the proper elevation of the.

. ners, so as to prevent Be 'it known that L JAMESJLlOG'IL LIS, a are-duplicatedriveeshaftsheachofw citizen of the United-States, residing at (hip- .pewa F-alls,'inthe county of Chippewa and State'of Wisconsin, have invented a new and of which the following is as ecifi'ca-tion. 1

This invention relates to sleds, and has for nectionto havethe sled mounted upon fixed runners andto employ other movable runners to which stepping movements are imparted for engagement with theroad-bed to. pro el the sled. by the advance movements oft e movable runners.

Another object of the invention is to eil'ect moving runners when being advanced for new positions upon the road-bed and to cushion the impact of the movable runners with the road-bed so as toobviate violent pounding and consequent damage to the moving runners and other parts of the o crating mechanism.

A still furt er object of the invention is to provide for automatic ally clearing accumulations of ice and snow from the movable runslipping thereof by such accumulations.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanyingdrawings, and articularly pointed out in the appendedc aims, it being understood tnat'changes in the form, proportion, size, made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accom anying drawings, Figure 1 is a 'fplan view of t e sled-propelling mechanism 0 the present invention. Fig. 2 is asideelevation thereof. Fig. view onthe line 3 3 of'Fi 2. Fig. f'is a detail view of the runner-l'fting device.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts ineach and every figure of the drawings. I

As exhibited in the accompanying drawings, the present sled includes a bed or body 1, sup ortedupon a air OffiXed'runners-Z, there eingthe usua steering-bob 3 of any preferred type located at the front of the sled. Extending transversely across the un- Specification ofLetters Patent, Application filed fieptember 13,

' Each movable runner 10,. isin 9 straight bar having I cent crank by means and minor details may be 3 is a cross-sectional Iatented mug 31,,- 199.6;

1905. Seria1No..278,32l.

der side of the bed'on body 1-,of thevreanll lob,

provided. adjacent each of. its; ends; w positely-disposedv crank ben dsr 5 an d:;- 6, l cated, respectively, 7

Sides Ofthe a entme iums- 122 Each. shaft isterminally mounted in bearings:

at theouter. and inner. 6o

' Y hung from thebed 'l and; between eachpalr its-object to provide traction means formechanica-lly propelling the sled and, in this-con;

off cranks theshaft has a bearing8.:through,

v hee 1a t o ry r nner. Qt :-beer--: s. ings are-hung from thebed .or body l-f ols support of intermediateportions of the shaft= As the construction. and operation of t he several movable runners is he same through-l out'the series of four runners, a;descrip tion, 7o; of one of the. runners isTd69mSlLfffic1ent he nat re .Qfa.

ii t rne -1 t rmi als ed:-

is provided about midiiway of-its ends withe post 11, preferably in-the. nature ra in..; verted b a ial y U shap drec s tbelted orotherwise rigidl-y secured totheto of the runner. Upon the to ,of this pQfiilflq lclje is secured a substantia yhorizontal, flat; spring-bar 12, rojectingforwardly-andrear; wardly from t e-post and-heldj-inplace'b a, pair of bolts 13, piercing the spri-ngand-thetop of the post. Each vofthe boltsrise a, suitable distance above. the post, so as to form; n ar wi h he upper-i e f tee s. d p vid dwi he-l rel yre e heed: or extension 14 for a, purpose as will be here. inafter described. The rear. endpor ipn of..- 'the spring is loosely connected toth e-adja-i;

. "o a bea g le r f r: 99 Y whilerthe fr ntei d 0 he prin s" bent u wardly and rearwardly to, form a s ule -r stantid lly circular bow 16, whichoverhangs; the front'portion of the spring and terminates; in a bearing sleeve oreye 17, receiving the-ads. .5;. jacent crank. Upon-thetop-of the forward; portion of the spring and in advance of the eye 17 there is a rigid shoulder or abutment 18, dis ,osed transversely across the spring.

At eac parallelism therewith is a connecting-rod- 19, whichterminates at each end in-aneye 2 0,; loosely receiving the respective cranks, saidi connecting-rods operatingto; insure the simultaneousmoving of the cranks.

A suitable motor 21 is su ported upon the' bed or body land is provided with-a power.- shaft 22, carrying a SPI'OQkBtIrWhQB1J23, over which travels a sprocket chain 24, whichalso engages sprockets 25 upon the middle pere Ito e h p inga -in stantial 9o.

upwardly at their tions of the shafts whereby the latter are simultaneously driven in the same direction. When the sled is in operation, the pairs of movable runners are alternately elevated and moved forwardly and downwardly into engagement with the road-bed and then rearwardly'by the manipulation of the cranks of the driveshafts 4, the rearward movement of the cranks operating to ush the sled forwardly against the movab e runners, which are then in contact with the roadway. By having spring connections between the cranks and the movable runners the latter are cushioned when they strike the roadway, wherey jars are absorbed and damage to the runners and the operating mechanismthereby avoided. By reason of the yieldable nature of the springs the movable runners will of course sag when the cranks begin to travel rear limits, whereupon the connectlng-rods 1 9 will come into engagement of the posts 13, and thereby positively lift the movable runners out of engagement with the roadway and support the same in elevated positions until the cranks begin to move downwardly at their forward limits. It will now be understood that the rods 19 have dual functions in that they connect corresponding front and rear cranks and also positively lift the movable runners from the same elevated until they are depressed at their forward limits. The reason for having the spring bowed at its front end and straight at its rear end is that the rear crank imparts a pull upon the rear portion of the spring while the front crank is pushing upon the spring and the bowed spring portion 16 gives sufficiently to prevent buckling of the spring. In other words, the spring first passes beneath the crank and then bows u wardly and rearwardly across the same and is then connected thereto, whereby when the rearward pull comes upon the extremity of the spring the lower side of the spring will be drawn up against the crank and whatever compensation is required is provided for by the bowed portion 16. When the direction of movement is reversed and the sled runin a backward direction, there will be a pull upon the front bowed portion 16 of the spring, which will tend to break the same, and to overcome this objection the shoulder or abutment 18 has been provided in such a position as to have the adjacent crank strike the rear side of the abutment, and thereby produce a direct pull upon the spring independent of the bowed portion 16.

Each movable runner is provided upon its under side with spurs 26 to insure a positive d upon the roadway, and the runner is also equipped with a metallic shoe 27, disposed upon its under side and provided with a longitudinal series of perforations 28, through which the spurs or projections 26 ex roadway and maintain the tend, each shoejexceeding in length the length of the runner and having its upturned ends 29, fixed to the respective ends of the runner.

en the runner is in action, the weight of the sled forces the shoe up against the under side of the runner, so as to have the spurs extend through the openings in the shoe and engage the roadway. When the runner is lifted at its rear limit, the shoe will spring outwardly, when the pressure of the roadway is relieved therefrom, and by this movement of the shoe all accumulations of ice and snow will be stripped from the spurs or projections 26, whereby slipping of the movable runners upon the roadway is prevented. It will here be explained that each runner is maintained in contact with the roadway throughout the lower half of the rotation of the cranks by I reason of the downward pressure of the adj a cent spring 12, so as to secure the maximum engagement of the runner with the roadway.

To absorb the shock and jars incident to the contact of the rods 19 with the heads of the bolts 13, the under side of each head is provided with a leaf-spring 30, which has its outer end secured to a block or depending shoulder 31, carried by the under side of the head adjacent its outer end, whereby the greater portion of the spring is free to yield when struck by the adjacent rod 19.

It is proposed to have each bolt 13 passed loosely through an opening in the top of the adjacent post 11 and provided with nuts 32 above and below the top of the post for the purpose of rigidly holding the bolt in position and to enable vertical adjustment thereof, whereby the bolts may be set to lift the movable runner at different points in the rotation of the cranks, so as to accommodate the runners to rough and smooth roadways.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a traction-sled, the combination with a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of movable runners disposed in pairs working at opposite sides of the respective fixed runners, front and rear driving crank-shafts, operative connections between the cranks of the shafts and each movable runner, connecting-rods between corresponding cranks of the shafts, and means rising from the movable runners and overhanging the connecting-rods in the upward paths thereof to lift and support the movable runners in elevated positions during a portion of the operation of the cranks.

In a traction-sled, the combination with a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of movable runners, front and rear driving crank-shafts, posts rising from the movable runners, springs carried by the tops of the posts and connected to corresponding front and rear cranks, fastenings connecting the springs to the posts and rising above the latter with their upper ends provided with heads, and connecting-rods extending between corresponding front and rear cranks, the heads of the fastenings lying above and in the upward paths of the connecting-rods for elevating the movable runners.

3. In a traction-sled, the combination with ,a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of front and rear driving crank-shafts,

-movable runners, and spring-bars carried by the runners and connected to corresponding front andrear cranks, each front spring passing beneath the adjacent crank and then bowed upwardly and rearwardly across the .same with its terminal connected to the and rearwardly across the same and connected .to the crank, and a fixed abutment carried by the top of thefront sprin in front of the crank for engagement there by when the direction of movement of the crank-shaft is reversed.

5. In a traction-sled, the combination with a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of front and rear driving crankshafts, a movable runner for each pair of front and rear cranks, a post rising from each runner, a spring supported upon the top of the post and extending in front and rear 7 thereof and terminating in eyes loosely embracing the respective cranks, the front end portion of the spring passing beneath the front crank and then bowed upwardly and rearwardly across the same, an abutment carried by the top of the spring in front of the front crank and in the path of the backward rotation thereof, a fastening piercing the top of the post and the spring and rising above the post with its upper end provided with a head, and connecting-rods extending between corresponding front and rear cranks,

the heads of the fastenings lying in the upward paths of the connecting-rods for lifting the runners from the roadway.

6. In a traction-sled, a movable runner provided upon its under side with spurs, and

spring-pressed means carried by the runner for stripping accumulations of snow and ice from the spurs.

' 7. In a traction-sled, a movable runner provided upon its under side with spurs, and a stripping device for'the spurs consisting of a'bar having openings receiving the spurs and provided with s ring-terminals connect ed to the runner, t e bar being intermediately free from the runner to spring downward-1y therefrom and strip accumulations of snow and ice from the spurs. 8. In a traction-sled, the combination with a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of movable runners, front and rear driving crank-shafts, spring connections between each movable runner and adjacent front and rear cranks, connecting-rods connecting adjacent front and rear cranks, means rising from the movable runners and overhanging the connecting-rods in the upward paths thereof to lift and support t e movable runners in elevated positions during a portion of the operation of the cranks, and means to cushion the impact of the rods with the means which overhang the latter.

9. In a traction-sled, the combination with a frame and supporting-runners connected thereto, of movable runners, driving crank-shafts, spring connections between each runner and adjacent front and rear cranks, connecting-rods extending between the front and rear cranks, posts rising from the runners and having heads overhanging the connecting -rods, and springfront and rear buffers carried by the heads in the upward paths of the rods.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MoGILLIS.

Witnesses:

J; A. ANDERSON MARY TOLAND. 

